Sleep and lucid dreaming with virtual reality to support mental health
Transformative Benefits of Contemplative Sleep Practices and a Novel Pathway to Deliver Benefits to the General Public
This trial will test whether a Dream-Yoga-inspired program delivered with virtual reality and home sleep technology can increase lucid dreaming and help reduce anxiety in adults who remember dreams at least once a week.
Quick facts
| Phase | Early Phase 1 |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 70 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Northwestern University Academic / other |
| Locations | 2 sites (Evanston, Illinois and 1 other locations) |
| Trial ID | NCT07408206 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This randomized, early-phase trial compares a Dream-Yoga-inspired intervention delivered via virtual-reality training plus home sleep monitoring to an active control Sleep Health Enhancement Program (SHEP). Healthy English-speaking adults with high dream recall are randomly assigned to one of the two arms and complete baseline and post-intervention assessments. The study uses wearable sleep devices, neurophysiological measures, and validated cognitive and perceptual tests to characterize changes in sleep physiology and lucid dreaming frequency, with anxiety measured as an exploratory outcome. The intervention adapts traditional contemplative practices into a standardized, secular, and scalable program for people without prior meditation experience.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are healthy English-speaking adults (18+) who recall dreams at least once per week, have a GAD-7 score in the 5–21 range, no prior established meditative practice, no major psychiatric or sleep disorders, and are willing to wear a sleep headband and attend study visits.
Not a fit: People with active major psychiatric conditions, diagnosed sleep disorders, recent nightshift work, a history of seizures/heart problems/asthma, current recreational drug use, or extensive prior contemplative training are unlikely to benefit or be eligible.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could offer a scalable, non-drug approach to increase lucid dreaming, modify sleep-related brain activity, and potentially reduce anxiety symptoms.
How similar studies have performed: Prior small studies support methods for inducing lucid dreams and using sleep monitoring, but combining Dream Yoga practices with virtual reality and home neurophysiology in a randomized design is largely novel.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Individuals interested in participating will be screened for eligibility through a Qualtrics survey, a Score between 5-21 points in GAD-7. Healthy, English-speaking adults (at least 18 years old) with high dream recall (at least 1/week). Exclusion Criteria: * We will exclude people who self-report any of the following: 1. history of an established meditative practice 2. psychological or psychiatric disorders (other than mild anxiety) 3. sleep disorders, nightshift work in the past month, extreme chronotype or irregular sleeping pattern 4. use of recreational drugs in the past month 5. history of asthma, seizures or heart problems 6. unwillingness to wear headband during sleep
Where this trial is running
Evanston, Illinois and 1 other locations
- Northwestern University — Evanston, Illinois, United States (Recruiting)
- Contemplative Sciences Center — Charlottesville, Virginia, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: S. Gabriela Torres Platas, Ph.D.
- Email: gabriela.torresplatas@northwestern.edu
- Phone: (847) 491-3741
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.